Monthly archive: April 2003

More time in Zanzibar

I have decided to stay a couple more days here in Zanzibar and more exactly Nungwi. Pete from Sensation Divers gave me a good price so that is really interesting. Moreover I found that I can fly for $106 from Zanzibar to Nairobi with Air Kenya making a ferry/bus trip totally useless. Wies should probably join me by tuesday and start her Open Water course (first step to be certified) she will probably stay 2 weeks around Zanzibar and I will probably leave by the end of this week. Note, that it has been raining all night and the day has been cloudy here. Maybe the rainy season is really starting. It is already a month and a half late and I have had excellent weather both in Kenya and Tanzania. Everything has an end.

Diving Nungwi

I have been in Nungwi since yesterday and I like this place. I have been reconcialited with the dives in Zanzibar. I have been diving with Sensation Divers and staying at Amaan Beach Bungalows ($10/night). Here you have a nice visibility, lots of turtles, plenty of fishes and....very nice beaches. This contrast heavily with the dives in Stonetown where I can qualify the dives as 'terrible'. In short the marine life is totally absent due to local fishermen playing a little bit too much with explosives...

Nungwi

After being a tourist for some days in Zanzibar (roughly, doing a Spices tour, seeing Red Colonus monkeys and swimming with dolphins) I moved to the north of Zanzibar in a place called Nungwi. I plan to stay there probably until Sunday and then try to find my way back to Nairobi. I'm hesitating between taking a Kenya Airways flight ($150) or taking the ferry and then a long bus ride (13h) from Dar Es Salaam to Nairobi (all this about $70)

Kizimkazi and Joziani

Today I have been going to Kizimkazi to swim with dolphins, this was an interesting experience though I'm wondering what are the dolphins thinking about all this mess. At first we were only 2 boats and it was not too stressfull but not so long after 8 boats were turning around and chasing them to drop the people in the water.

Stonetown

Zanzibar, The Spice Island

I arrived in Zanzibar yesterday after spending the night in Dar Es Salaam. I arrived from Tanga earlier than expected as it took us only 4h15 rather than the 5h30 expected. Which means that of course we were driving -very- fast and that you'd better not look too much in front of you if you don't want to have an heart attack.

Leaving to Dar Es Salaam

I finally decided to leave to Dar Es Salaam. I will leave in about 2 hours (12:30PM) from Tanga by bus (5h30, 4500TSh). I will spend the night there in order to get some cash for Zanzibar and go to British Airways to delay my flights. As this is a small world, I have just received a mail from Roger and Cheryl (Australians I met in Nairobi, we spent a day in Mount Kenya together) that tell me they are right now in Zanzibar.

Tanga

I arrived in Tanga saturday around 1PM and found my way to where Wies and Saskia were staying. We went on the beach on the afternoon (sorry guys, no pictures
) and spent the evening at the local swimming club restaurant (good and cheap food !). Overall, Tanzania is cheaper than Kenya for many things (for the records, roughly 1KSh = 13Tsh or $1 = 1000TSh).

On the Way to Tanga

I left this morning from Diani to Mombasa along with two danish girls on their way back to Nairobi. On their advices I went to an hotel they recommended to me to spend the night in Mombasa...and oh boy, what a shithole !

Monkey day

Day off today, so I decided to take pictures of the monkey that keep getting around me very close. He is far from being afraid and the bastard even tried one time to steal me my bread when I was eating. He was looking at me from the tree just above my table when he decided to jump on it and get away with my bread. Too bad for him I was faster.

He does not have to complain though as I have been feeding him with bananas (but he managed to steal me an avocado anyway and obviouslly he loved it)

Diani Pictures - Underwater IV

Last pictures from diving. It was supposed to be the best spots for diving but Cyril (a French living in Belgium, we have been diving together) and I were quite disappointed. We were expecting much better considering what the staff told us, at one moment we were even swimming across a section and we did not see a fish for more than 10 minutes.

Zanzibar

Since I'm in Kenya, I have heard a lot of people talking about Zanzibar and since I'm quite close to it, I may decide in the next few days to go spend some time in Tanzania. I will probably take the bus from Mombasa to Tanga and then advise. Why Tanga ? Well, Wies and Saskia (from Holland, remember, they have been with me from Nairobi to Mombasa) are staying there for about 3 months to complete their master thesis and it may be a good opportunity to see them again.

Diani Pictures - Underwater III

Continuing on the UW pictures: a guitar shark (as you can see it looks like a cross pollination between a shark and a blue spotted ray, especially since it burries itself in the sand like a ray), a difficult to spot leaf fish, a mantis shrimp (first time I ever see something like this) and of course the traditional turtle

Diani Pictures - Underwater II

A couple of pictures from today's dive. As you can see a wide variety of critters, including lobsters, rays, turtles and morays. Out of the water you will notice monkeys, they were mostly around my room in the morning (jumping on the roof between 6 and 7AM is pretty common). In one picture you will notice the Colobus monkeys which is a protected in Diani.

Diving in Diani

I arrived in Mombasa yesterday at 3:30PM as expected with Wies and Saskia. I dropped them at their hotel and went to Diani, 40km south via taxi. I'm staying in Diani Beachalets for 380KSh, self catering. I expect to eat some crabs, lobsters and prawns in the next few days as price from the fishermen are quite attractive: 400, 750, 600Ksh respectively without bargaining.

Mombasa

I should be leaving to Mombasa tomorrow morning. I was ready to leave this morning with Saskia and Wies, 2 girls from Holland that go to Tanzania but the bus was surprisingly full...because it was the beginning of schools holidays from today. We went to the Nairobi museum this afternoon to waste some time and the museum is surprisingly excellent. There are a lot of materials and information. Highly recommended.